Inital:
Remove vac advance ( and retard if so equiped ), set idle as slow as it will run smoothly, set timing.
Total is a little more diffficult.
The only real way to set total timing is to drive the car, roll into the throttle and see if there is any rattle and ping. If not, advance the timing and drive the car again. Keep advancing until there is a pinging when you have the car at WOT.
Then bump the timing back a hair and set the idle.
It's possable to advance the timing so far the auto will not start when hot. Then you get to play the game of switching vac advance units ( or getting an adjustable one ), and playing with the mechanical counter weights stops ( adding or removing metal ).
And that just gets you the base figures that can and will change when the wind blows from another direction.
Then you can play with the spring rates on the mechanical advance and vac advance to controol event timing. You dont want full advance at 1500, nor do you want to delay full advance until red line.
A final note: Cant really use a light to set a Fords timing, mostly because the timing chains and gears are crap. Even with a gear drive and degreed cam a light falls short because the advertised advance numbers are for "any engine". Your needs may vary.
Gets better!
And you thought carb jetting was a PITA?
Mark.
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